Say What?

Claudio Ranieri explains his decision to bench Riyad Mahrez for Leicester’s trip to Norwich. Arsene Wenger praises Theo Walcott’s improvement as a central striker, Ronald Koeman lauds Sadio Mane’s contribution to the Southampton attack, whilst Memphis Depay concedes he’s still getting used to life at United…

Ranieri clarifies Mahrez omission

Riyad Mahrez’ omission from Leicester’s starting line-up against Norwich came as a shock to fans and Fantasy managers alike, given that the Algerian winger boasted five goals and three assists in his previous seven league outings. Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri explained the decision following their 2-1 win at Carrow Road, insisting that he wanted to deploy harder-working wide men to counter the Canaries’ propensity for wing play. Considering that Leicester took the lead in the 28^th minute and never relinquished it, Ranieri was pleased to afford Mahrez the chance of a rest:

“I left Mahrez out because I wanted to put him on in the second half, but the match was different and it was good for us, and for Mahrez to get a rest for one match. It is okay, he can never play 38 matches. I have a lot of players in good condition and that is very good for the manager. Maybe we need to give him a break, we were very solid on the flank. Marc Albrighton helped Danny Simpson. I know how Norwich play. They push a lot on the flank, left and right, and make a lot of crosses, so I said okay, we start with a solid team and then during the match I put Mahrez on the field. But the match was different. We were winning.”

Ranieri applauds steadfast Kante

N’Golo Kante lined up alongside Danny Drinkwater at the heart of Leicester’s midfield against Norwich, with the Foxes plumping for a 4-4-2 set-up. The French enforcer broke up play to great effect, tallying more loose-ball interceptions (six) than any midfielder in the league last weekend. Ranieri lauded Kante’s tireless work ethic and persistent pressure, suggesting that the former Caen recruit has quickly established himself as vital to the Foxes’ cause:

“We bought Kante for matches like this. He was fantastic. He presses the ball non-stop. I think he even presses people in the stands! Last season, he was the first player in the five top leagues in Europe for ball recoveries. He showed why today. I played him wide to begin with (this season) because I wanted to get him on the pitch. Wherever you play him, he will play well.”

Wenger lauds Walcott’s evolution as lone frontman

Theo Walcott mustered just one wayward shot during Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Manchester United, but he proved impactful on the creative front, teeing up Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez for the second and third goals. Arsene Wenger is impressed with how the Southampton academy product is broadening his skill set as a centre forward, showing commitment to recovering possession and shielding the ball:

“I must say Walcott had a hugely committed performance today in a hugely convincing way. He didn’t score but I like to praise the strikers when they don’t score and contribute and give assists. He was involved in two goals – Ozil’s and Alexis’ [second] one. He did really fight today and showed he can fight, commit and protect the ball as well. He is gaining some aspects of his game as a centre forward and they are improving.”

Koeman praises elusive Mane

Sadio Mane proved to be a thorn in Chelsea’s side during Saints’ trip to Stamford Bridge, bagging a goal and an assist for his efforts. Moreover, the Senegalese forward placed top among midfielders last Gameweek for shots inside the box (four), while only five of his counterparts racked up more key passes (three). Ronald Koeman was delighted with how Mane maintained his intensity throughout the encounter, having implored his players to keep attacking while it was all square at 1-1. The Dutch boss reserved a special mention for Mane’s movement off the ball, saying that it made him a nightmare to mark for the Blues rearguard:

“We spoke at half time and we said, ok, important now is we try to attack and try to win the game and no defending the 1-1. I think we showed from the beginning in the second half we pressed, the team was very compact and it was difficult for them… He is very fast and he is showing also now to be very clever out of his positions. I think he changed well the position in front and it was difficult for them to have a good defending. Of course then if you play good football you need that kind of players on the top level they can bring. He was fantastic. After the fast 1-0 down we looked comfortable, and of course to win against teams like Chelsea you need your best players on that high level and Sadio was very dangerous in his movements. It was impossible to have a good defending against him.”

Hughes backs Arnautovic to improve scoring rate

Marko Arnautovic ended the previous campaign with seven assists but only one goal for Stoke. The Austrian winger has already surpassed that total this term, with his strike last time out against Aston Villa boosting his output to two goals in seven outings, having also notched against Spurs in Gameweek 2. After the weekend win over Tim Sherwood’s side, Mark Hughes is now keen for Arnautovic to become a little more selfish instead of deferring to his team-mates.

“We have pulled his leg about the fact he sometimes seems more happy assisting and putting the ball on a plate for others. But he now has the hunger to score himself and if he can get that he can be an even more influential player for us. It’s been said he only comes alive in the second half of the season, which is a bit unfair, and he has started this season really well.”

Bolasie reflects on home goal drought

Yannick Bolasie’s stooped header during Crystal Palace’s 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace last Gameweek was the DR Congo international’s first goal at Selhurst Park for 1,005 days. In fact, Bolasie has struggled to offer a consistent goal threat throughout the Eagles’ current spell in the Premier League, chalking up just five strikes across 70 outings. In the aftermath of the Baggies clash, Bolasie revealed he has been working hard in training to ensure that he’s drifting into dangerous areas:

“I’ve seen a couple of messages on Twitter saying that I hadn’t scored here in two years so I thought ‘you know what, I have to score’. Yohan basically put the ball on a plate for me, but if I’m not in the right place then I’m not going to score, so I’ve been getting in the box a lot more in training and making it a habit because that’s where you score goals.”

Neil urges Hoolahan to conserve energy

Despite ranking joint-second among all players for assists (five) this term, Wes Hoolahan has been subject to rotation and reduced minutes in the league. Norwich manager Alex Neil detailed the thought process behind his management of the Ireland international, asserting that he wants him to conserve energy during games so he can exert his influence on the attacking front:

“The impact he has had in the Premier League this season is much greater than in the past, so on that criteria I think it would be fair to say that. It is not always about working hard but working smart. That is the message I try to give him. The key message is he has to conserve energy to hurt the opposition with the ball rather than trying to stop them without it, because once they bypass him his use, defensively, is pretty much null and void. I want him to use his energy when he is going forward. The way we set-up gets the best out of him but he still has to show his talent and do the bits we know he is good at.”

Bilic talks up partnership between Lanzini and Payet

Since his insertion into the starting line-up from Gameweek 4, Manuel Lanzini has bagged one goal and an assist for West Ham United. The Argentine midfielder has been deployed on both flanks in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with Dimitri Payet pulling the strings from the number-ten berth. Irons boss Slaven Bilic believes Lanzini’s skill set is better suited to a wide role, which in turn affords Payet the freedom to exploit space and elude his markers:

“He is that type of player and that is why we got him. People are saying he is a number ten, for me he is not that and he likes to get a lot of contact on the ball and he is gaining space. I like him a lot as a player and he is a big asset for us. He is the one that gives Payet a breather and the opportunities to get the ball when he is not marked. The two of them are really good together.”

Sherwood on finding right system for Rudy Gestede

Rudy Gestede has netted more headed goals (21) than any player in the top four levels of English football since August 2013, illustrating his aerial prowess. In an attempt to greater harness that strength, Tim Sherwood switched to a 3-5-2 set-up last time out against Stoke City, tasking wing-backs Alan Hutton and Jordan Amavi with whipping in the crosses. As Sherwood explains, the pair were ultimately under-utilised in the first half, forcing him to revert to a 4-3-3 formation in the second period:

“We need to find ways to get crosses in the box to Rudy more than we have been, because at the moment he is our threat to score goals as he’s proved over the last few weeks. But we didn’t do that well enough in the first period. We got the ball out wide to Hutton and Amavi nowhere near enough so we changed it at half time to try to find a different way.”

Flores on Gomes’ brilliance against Cherries

Heurelho Gomes saved a Glenn Murray penalty six minutes from time during Watford’s trip to Bournemouth last weekend, ensuring that the Hornets earned a point courtesy of a 1-1 draw. Allied to that, the Brazilian shot-stopper ranked second for shots saved (six) in the previous round of fixtures, underlining his importance to their defensive resolve. Quique Sanchez Flores hailed Gomes’ for his performance and professionalism at the Vitality Stadium and suggested the former Spurs man is one of the best stoppers he’s coached in his career:

“To compare someone with Heurelho today is difficult. I have trained very good goalkeepers: David De Gea, Santiago Canizares and Gomes. We are talking about three players who are all at a very high level. Heurelho is an amazing goalkeeper. He is an amazing professional and that is the most important thing for us. He went into the dressing room and didn’t give any importance to the penalty save. That is Heurelho. I am very happy with his save. We are not a team who concede a lot of attempts but when we do Heurelho is there. If we concede four or five attempts we know Heurelho is ready to save.”

Eriksen turns to Italian maestro for free-kick inspiration

Since he made the switch to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2013, Christian Eriksen has tallied double the amount of goals direct from free-kicks (six) than any player in the Premier League. The Denmark international – who boasts a 15% conversion rate – reckons he knows what’s required to execute a high-quality free-kick, having partially modelled his technique on Andrea Pirlo’s:

“I’ve practised free kicks for many years but not really since I was injured, so now I just practise in the game. Of course we had a lot of them in this game so it was a bit of both. I know what feeling I need to have when I step over the ball and get it on goal. I did it always from the early years. I’ve always known I had a good shot and I’ve always taken free kicks. At the end of my time with Ajax I scored a few. In the first two or three years in the first team I didn’t. I had the free kicks, I had the chances but it never really went in. At some point it turned. After a lot of training and a little bit of focusing it turned. I watched [Andrea] Pirlo a few times but that’s just because it looks so easy. When he’s there, you know there’s a good chance of a goal. Everyone has their different position of doing it. I know I have my own and I know it’s working so I’m keeping that.”

Zaha determined to cement starting role

Wilfried Zaha produced a man-of-the-match performance to inspire Crystal Palace to a 2-0 win over West Brom in Gameweek 8. Aside from earning the penalty that Yohan Cabaye converted in the final minute of the 90, the former Manchester United recruit placed joint-first for shots inside the box (four) among all midfielders. Considering that Zaha doesn’t usually pose much of a goal threat, the sprightly winger contended that it was his best performance yet in an Eagles strip. He’s now looking to establish a level of consistency and prove that he’s worthy of a regular starting berth:

“I just need to carry on playing well, it’s just consistency for me, really. I am buzzing and I managed to get man of the match and hopefully it’s the first of many. I think, I get criticism all the time so I need to take it on the chin and carry on. Obviously not everyone can have their best game, but I’ve just got to prove to the gaffer I’m good enough to start every game. There’s no point sulking about it. Obviously what he says is to make you better, so I’ve taken it on the chin and proved I can play well. When I have as many shots as I did, then yes, definitely (it was my best game at home this season). In most games I only get to shoot once or none at all, so I think it was my best game so far in fact.”

Depay still finding his feet at United

Memphis Depay arrived at Old Trafford amid much fanfare in the summer, having racked up 22 goals and five assists for PSV last season. Whilst Juan Mata has racked up the points and Anthony Martial has settled immediately as the lone striker, Depay – who has managed just one goal and assist in the league – has conceded that he’s yet to become accustomed to the Red Devils’ packed schedule:

“There are a lot of games in Manchester. There are very few rest days and on training days you are mainly concerned with recovering. It’s heavy, two games a week, always at a high level, and my body has to get used to that.”